I've just got back from five days in Le Marais, and I've decided I want become Parisian, s'il vous plait.

[TossDaily]

So there.

EVERYBODY looked fantastic. EVERYBODY. DP and I just sat open-mouthed in fascination. Whatever their age, they looked amazing.

So I'm sitting here on a diet, wearing an Isabel Marant jumper and frantically googling 'How to turn French.'

As far as I can tell, the rules are:

1. Be thin, despite the fact you are walking down the street at 11am gnawing a cheese and ham baguette the length of your forearm.

1. Have your hair the colour and texture of natural hair.

1. Have the most amazing skin, despite the fact you have a permanent Gauloise on the go.

1. Never get pissed and lairy, despite the fact you are having a glass of red wine with your lunch and it's Tuesday.

1. Wear shoes you can walk in.

1. Have an amazing coat.

1. Know how to tie a scarf so it looks like you have slung it on and it's just choosing to snuggle up to you because you are SO FRICKING GORGEOUS.

1. Have a pharmacy on every corner that is just an Aladdin's Cave of miraculous skincare delights for less than a tenner each.

Anyone else have any tips? Joking aside, I loved the style - the shops, ohmigod the shops! It was like I'd walked into my internet shopping history.

I could actually walk around in my biker jacket without feeling like a twat.

I want to be French. Aidez-moi.

What about a white Agnes B cardigan

They're made from a sweatshirty-fleecey material. Bit neater than a sweatshirt.

I've only skimmed the thread but Agnes B hasn't really been mentioned much here. Her fashion moment was back in the 90s but she's still going strong and I still buy stuff there. Jackets, knitwear and dresses are good.

Recently I bought this this and this

Is this the look you're referring too Into? Your description is vaguely French with the exception of the hip length, you rarely see that really. Again with the heat it's more likely to be a loose linen weave or a thin cotton rather than a sweatshirt, though they do sometimes have those very thin cotton sweatshirt types (Isabel Marant always has some in the S/S collection where the colours vary) but often slightly altered, so a raw edge instead of the ribbed collar, etc. I'd say American Vintage is your best bet, they always have bright white in their collections and are very much a staples brand.

Agnes B is a brand I really associate with my mother Ninon (which doesn't imply anything, were she still alive she'd be in her early 60s and throw up two fingers to notions of dressing her age) but I suppose it has somewhat lost its 90s shine in more recent times. It's a bit what APC is to me these days, a solid dependable brand that follows fashion from afar with a very pronounced style DNA of its own that isn't especially loud. You know you can go in there any season and come out with at least a few pieces. I do think the fit is better suited to some, those that are a bit shorter or really slight of form if taller, it still has a bit of 90s cut in it. It's been awhile since I've been into their shop though, the t-shirts are especially good. The French seem to have this thing about the perfect t-shirt and Agnes B really do have a very nice one, the men's one is also a really nice fit (on both sexes).

So something like this? Sorry can't change regional settings so hopefully link works.

It's in the outlet section at 30% off for €42 and called Sweat Jaguar.

Love this thread.

More for the interesting commentary on the cultural restrictions and tyranny that goes hand in hand with it - it's so easy to look in on the attractive surface and miss all of that.

Lots of lovely clothing too, though. I may have bought a certain faux fur stole...

Agnes B is a brand I really associate with my mother Ninon (which doesn't imply anything, were she still alive she'd be in her early 60s and throw up two fingers to notions of dressing her age) but I suppose it has somewhat lost its 90s shine in more recent times

I'd agree with that. I avoid the 90s stuff, & go for the classics with a French twist. It's good for classic t-shirts, jumpers, dresses, I don't like the trousers. Wrt the beret discussion - you can always get a good beret in Agnes B. I never got on with APC.

Fav French brands are Joseph, Z&V and Paul & Joe - but some of their stuff is wildly expensive. I'm not going to pay a grand for a leather jacket. Not feeling P&J's massive florals.

Talking of Isabel Marant, it's sold out now but I bought this earlier.

Joseph, despite appearances, isn't actually French but British. It's the whole French imitating the British then gets emulated by the Brits. Think the founder may even originally be from Asia or the Middle East.

That IM coat is lovely, I tried the longer version of it but it was ridiculously oversized, that one looks to have a much better fit.

I like P&J too, used to wear the sister line a lot but feels a bit too girly these days though there is the occasional gem. They currently have a really nice grey coat which isn't crazy money for a really good cut. The French private sales sites discount P&J quite heavily now and then.

You can't all buy the scarf! I'm still making up my mind about it, by the time I've decided surely it'll be sold out

Joseph Ettedgui was Moroccan - I never knew it was set up in London! It convinced me with its French sizing and small sizes.

I bought a peacoat about 3 years ago thinking they wouldn't stick around, but I wore it such a lot I decided to replace it. Afair I had to go down a size or 2 as the Marant came up big and I'm fairly small.

Which private sales are you on? I've just had an Absolut cashmere fest on vente.privee.com

Ah yes, Morocco, that's what it was. I suppose as a former French territory it sort of counts

Yes, I've found Marant has become a bit more international with her sizes these days and suspect a bit of vanity sizing going on in some of her pieces (dresses and trousers still appear true).

I know venteprivee as venteexclusive as they merged at some point with a Belgian private sales site called something exclusive. The other one is Showroomprive which is more of a mixed bag in terms of brands buy they discount heavier and often will have the same brands as VP at some point but they launch like 20 new ones every day (men's, children's, toys, and electronic goods too) and often group together brands in one sale from what I assume are unsold pieces and returns from previous sales. I used to have another whose name I've forgotten but it was too random and lacked appeal.

Sorry, it's been raining non stop today so didn't get a chance to photograph my new stuff. I'll try again at some point this week, provided people are actually interested in that.

Oh, and we have an 'official' thread lurker (we've had this happen on the skincare threads, mention someone with a platform on the thread and suddenly they create very specific content related to things we discussed on the thread). Ahem, I believe I did mention the whole tuxedo style slim blazer with a graphic tee on here, and the Breton cap... Enid cue Oprah!

Here is a video showing some alternate ways to tie a scarf

www.cosmopolitan.com.au/fashion/how-to-tie-a-scarf-3084

Thank you Botemp. I have just bought it! It is worth a gamble I think for it is something I have been hankering after for a very long time.

Parisian women would never wear an oversized navy parka would they? I already know fear the answer, for as lovely as wool coats are, they are simply not good in our damp wet weather :(

Suspicious Oprah is suspicious bo

Do any of these lovely French brands do petite sizes, i.e. for those of us under 5’ 3”, not French-skinny.

I’ve just had a very frustrating weekend trying on lovely things that just don’t fit or make me look like a ridiculous child dressing up in cool older sister’s clothes 🙄

Into, they do wear parkas but they're definitely the more fashion sort rather than the techincal/arctic ones. Lot of emphasis on (real) fur or shearling and usually juxtaposed with very simple cotton fabric everywhere else or sometimes even wool to give it a more casual vibe (with a nod of lux from the fur). Often worn open, I think like most capitals with the prolific use of public transport, bikes, cabs, and walking as primary modes of transport and going in and out of heated spaces and easy access to shelter from the weather, the desire for a really warm extremely watertight coat is less. Same way as someone in rural Scotland who spends a lot of time outdoors will have completely different requirements for a coat to someone in London. You definitely see the more practical parkas in the colder regions.

Splat, I've always associated petite dressing as something American (since my tiny grandmother used to buy that in bulk there in the 60s and 70s whenever on holiday) and only really know it outside of the US in the UK. French sizing is smaller by default, height wise too, it's the primary reason that I got into it as a teenager. I'm 5'4 now but definitely shorter then, with a woman's body, probably a size 10, that couldn't buy anything locally as I was either too hourglass for the actual teenager stuff and proportionally far too short for women's wear. Italian and French clothing fitted with ease, the odd alterations needed for trouser lengths. Women I know that are my height or shorter (I know I qualify just outside the petite range) I've found have all naturally migrated towards Southern European brands.

The clothing sizes start smaller, FR32 is rare but available in some shops but that's about a UK4, they start at FR34 which is a UK6 (a true 6, which is already rare to find on Northern European high streets and high-end shops) so they really don't separate it out. Certain brands are known to suit 'smaller' women better than most, like Petit Bateau (though many just buy the largest children's sizes).

Keep meaning to flag this. Not that I'm suggesting you all go and buy these things but Uterque are currently doing 40% off a selection of shoes. In a similar vein of the Mango trainers they have these Maroon Nappa Sneakers that unlike the Mango ones are fully leather. The fur's detachable but they would make for a versatile winter sneaker under jeans and under more formal wool trousers too. With the discount they are only marginally more expensive than the Mango ones, they also come in white with some detachable metal stars and pearls decoration which look awful IMO, but to each their own.

Comptoir des Cottoniers meanwhile has £35 of all coats, doesn't really make a dent on some of the coats but on the trench coats it makes a good deal, and their trench coats are really nice. Offer ends tomorrow.

Oh there are some great coats there thank you!

Thanks botemp

I’m 5’ nothing, never bothers me unless I have to ask people to reach me down stuff from shelves in supermarkets OR I’m looking for a new coat. Then I really resent it ...

Splat, if it helps, my mother was 5'1, size 12-14-16 apple and had no issues with French and Italian clothing (trousers obviously had to get shortened but little else). My GM was even shorter at well under 5', 4'10 or 11, she'd have to get sleeves and coat lengths taken in and used to drive on a stack of phone books. Is it the fit and/or the length of sleeves and coat that you struggle with?

Lol at the phone books!

It's both fit and length for me

I have nothing really to add except that I am loving this thread. Bo I am also echoing the thoughts and wishes of many that you think about doing a blog in the future - your insight, suggestions and guidance are invaluable. I would never have discovered Mango Violeta with you (not sure that DH and the bank manager would necessarily agree with my praise of that fact though.....!). I have also revisited Comptoir des Cotonniers after seeing it mentioned on this thread which will also disappoint DH. However I will point out to him that my coat, with removable lining, and my little cotton cardi that I wear over everything, are from there, are at least 5-6 years old, and still going strong.

My faux fur scarf/stole has arrived. It is GORGEOUS!
Thank you so much Botemp for posting about it. It will certainly enhance my rather inadequate winter wardrobe, that is if my seriously chic dd (who works in fashion) does not pinch it from me...

Mine too! It is lovely, but it's going to be a Christmas gift for my sister who is soon to return from a hot climate. I do hope she likes it (and doesn't let her DD nick it).

I am also pleased with the cheap cross-body bag I bought for dog walking, It's just right for my dog poo bags, phone, keys, wallet and a lip salve. Even if it doesn't last well, as Botemp warns it won't, at under £20 I don't care; the size/colours are perfect.

I think venteprivee and venteexclusive are linked, but they don't always have the same stuff.

Venteprivee currently has DvF for example, which venteexclusive doesn't.

Anyone who likes DvF, sale here: sale.vente-privee.com/